Training

[Cliff]

Need some material to train myself as a sound tech.
What is the best book, or video or website that I can use to train with? I have a beginners to intermediate understanding and will be running sound in my new church that we just moved to.

Thanks for any help.

[petereit]

Just about everything I have learned about media I have learned from blogs and discussion forums. goingto11.com is packed FULL of valuable information. A lot of it will be WAY over your head, but even if you just catch the spirit of it, it can be extremely valuable.

[chevelle1970]

I found this Live Sound Reinforcement DVD to be a good starting point and the price is around $24.00 to $34.00. They also have a book and it is very detailed about live sound systems. This media outlet has help fill in the areas that have gone over my head, the people that answer your questions here are great.

[tedanderson]

In this regard, experience is the best way to learn. Find someone to study under even if you have to go to another church every Sunday during your off times to observe what they do.

[Cliff]

THanks for your replies.


I am reading all I can on the internet. Goingto11.com is a good site also. Thanks.
Would just like to have it all together in one reference, like a book, a book with a video would be great!

chevelle1970 - Can you give me the name and writer of the book and CD.
The one from Yamaha "Live sound reinforcement" or the one by Duncan Fry "Live sound mixing" seem to be well recommended. Although I think they are not directly related to church, but sound in general.

I would love to sit under someone else and learn. Unfortunately that is not really possible as I am not near a major center. I have learnt some by talking to other soundmen. When I am at camps, conferences or such.

[Josh Scott]

Bill Gibson's The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook is a great book with a CD to help you hear what he is talking about.

[Frank DeWitt]

You might like this
http://www.churchsoundcheck.com/bootcamp.html
or the online training here
http://www.synaudcon.com/site/

Frank

[Brad Weber]

Originally Posted by Josh Scott

Bill Gibson's The Ultimate Live Sound Operator's Handbook is a great book with a CD to help you hear what he is talking about.

While no technical book is perfect, I feel an obligation to point out that book has been thoroughly dismissed by professionals. There is some very good information in the material but there is a very limited perspective and a great deal of technical misinformation and misconceptions also presented, along with what I found to be some rather poor organization that dilutes some of what is useful.

What is even worse to me is that for whatever reason Mr. Gibson seems resistant to accepting any suggestions or input from others to improve the content. Rather than try to address any criticism or revise the content, he seems more intent of defending any inaccuracies or misinformation in it as being acceptable.

Personally, I look at that book as making my job more difficult as it potentially leads to having to help clients first unlearn some of the things learned from it before they can then proceed to learn them correctly.

I second the resources Frank listed.

[chevelle1970]

Cliff sure the book is by Scott Hunter Stark and the DVD is based on the book. Live Sound Reinforcement "a comprehensive Guide To P.A. and Music Reinforcement Systems and Technology" is the full name. The DVD shows short videos of live sound setup, tips and techniques plus troubleshooting. I hope this helps and LORD bless you for looking to better your skills.

[Mikey]

I have the Yamaha book, that I pass around to the new guys on our tech team, and they all learn a great deal from it. To build on that you can also pick up Harrry Olesn's book "Music, Physics, and Engineering" . It's an old book, but it concentrates mostly on things that don't change over time. A good critical listening book/cd can be very helpful too.